Credits & Solicit Info:

As the VILTRUMITE WAR rages on within the pages of INVINCIBLE, the ranks of the Guardians of the Globe are suddenly depleted. The world is in danger, and the team is in search of new blood. It's the biggest recruitment drive since Omni-Man slaughtered the original members. But will the new Guardians of the Globe be ready in time to stop The Order? This series is a can't-miss action extravaganza!

Review:

Robert Kirkman is one of the most prolific writers in the comic industry today. The writer of The Walking Dead and Invincible has made his stake in the Image Universe, fashioning a large part of it as his own. With the trailer for the television adaptation of The Walking Dead tearing up the Internet, it seems like an appropriate time to take a look at his newest title, Guarding the Globe.

Guarding the Globe is a companion series to the long running Invincible series. The series, penned by the team of Kirkman and Benito Cereno with Ransom Getty on art duties, features the Guardians of the Globe, the Image universe's premier team. While the Guardians have long had a home in the Invincible series, with Invincible going off world to fight in the Viltrumite War, Kirkman decided that the Guardians needed their own title to keep the plotlines surrounding the team moving.

The first issue features the multiple plotlines readers have come to expect in Kirkman's work. The first issue centers on Brit and his attempts to adjust to his new role as Guardian leader and new power set as well as the Pentagon's attempt to turn the Guardians into an army of superheroes. Meanwhile, the long-running organized crime subplot from Invincible finally heats up, as a longtime villain is freed from prision and ordered to report to a mysterious Order.

Kirkman and Cereno do a great job of setting up his characters for new readers while remaining keeping the plot moving for those who've been following the Guardians since Invincible #7. Each member gets enough time in the script to establish who he or she is without taking away from the plot. Not many writers are able to characterize as efficiently as Kirkman does. My only real problem with this issue was that the various plotlines moved too fast for my liking. I'm probably just spoiled from trade waiting but I thought that the issue lacked some substance as I finished in less than fifteen minutes.

The art of Ransom Getty takes a little getting used to. I don't know how much of my issue with his art comes from it not being Ryan Ottley (the penciller of Invincible) and how much of it comes from Getty's shortcomings as an artist. Some of the facial expressions were off and his depiction of Immortal had a disproportionately large head. It almost looked as if he made Immortal's head larger just so he could load it up with more sideburns. I noticed that his weakest panels were the ones where the focus zoomed in on a character's head. Hopefully, Getty's art will improve over time, or Kirkman and Cereno will take note and lay off the headshots in future issues. However, to be fair, Getty does a fine job of loading his panels with plenty of action and draws a mean Yeti, who could quickly turn into one of my favorite characters of the year.

The one page Guardian gag at the end of the issue features a Barack Obama/Sarah Palin joke that falls a little flat. Maybe I'm just tired of the political nonsense surrounding the president's place of birth, but I feel like Chris Giarrusso needs to step up to match the recent one/two page features that have been found in the final pages of Amazing Spider-Man and Superman/Batman.

Overall, Guarding the Globe #1 is a great first issue largely due to the strength of Kirkman's writing. Kirkman has set the bar high for future issues of Guarding the Globe, although I am sure he'll deliver.

Bonus Review: Science Dog #1

There's no better recipe for an awesome comic than a talking anthropomorphic dog wielding a gun and his paraplegic owner/sidekick. Science Dog #1 features the zany superhero from the comic often mentioned in Invincible. Robert Kirkman and Cory Walker craft one of the most fun comics of the year. This is everything you could possibly want in a one-shot. Thrills, romance, action...and a cliffhanger ending that'll be followed up in next month's Invincible #75. This book is the exact reason I love comics: only in comics can you have talking dogs with a rocket pack fight giant robots. Read this book, cherish it and save it for your grandchildren.

Review by: BlueStreak

Support our sponsors:

Help spread the word, loyal readers! Share this story on social media:

Comment without an Outhouse Account using Facebook

We get it. You don't feel like signing up for an Outhouse account, even though it's FREE and EASY! That's okay. You can comment with your Facebook account below and we'll take care of adding it to the stream above. But you really should consider getting a full Outhouse account, which will allow you to quote posts, choose an avatar and sig, and comment on our forums too. If that sounds good to you, sign up for an Outhouse account by clicking here.

Note: while you are welcome to speak your mind freely on any topic, we do ask that you keep discussion civil between each other. Nasty personal attacks against other commenters is strongly discouraged. Thanks!

Help spread the word, loyal readers! Share this story on social media:

About the Author - Christian

Christian is the exasperated Abbott to the Outhouse's Costello. When he's not yelling at the Newsroom for upsetting readers or complaining to his wife about why the Internet is stupid, he sits in his dingy business office trying to find new ways to make the site earn money. Christian is also the only person in history stupid enough to moderate two comic book forums at once.